Client Testimonials

I was privileged to work with amazing clients and deliver them excellent results during my years in real estate sales. View my testimonials below.

Susie Mole

"Working with Tony was like having my own personal tour guide throughout the journey of house selling. As I approached each new step in the process, he explained what to expect in language that I could understand. Consequently, I always felt like my decisions were informed ones that I had had time to think about.

Tony was recommended to me by a friend, so I already had high expectations for his professionalism, integrity and dedication. Tony met all those expectations, but there was more: I didn't expect the genuine interest that he took in my story. He really cares!" - Susie Mole

Ian & Neil

From our first interactions with Tony, we were thoroughly impressed with his personal approach, taking a genuine interest in us and our needs. We cannot fault the level of communication and Tony put us both at ease throughout the sale and purchase process. Selling at auction was a new experience for us and Tony took the time to walk us through every step and on the day, he was the calm voice we needed to hear!  

We are happy we instructed Tony and have no hesitation in recommending him or using him again in the future.

Grant Wong

My parents have sold their home successfully through Tony Buckwell. My parents are elderly and from a non-English speaking background. They were anxious about selling their home of 25 years. We are very grateful having appointed Tony as our sales agent. 

Tony showed lots of patience and took the time to explain in detail everything my parents needed to know about selling their home. Tony provided a realistic market appraisal (no over-promising) to start off with. During the sale process, he kept us posted regarding everything that was going on. We could feel relaxed and comfortable letting go for Tony to take care of things for us and yet still feel in control being in the know. Our emotion and expectation on the price were managed well with the comprehensive buyer feedback reports that we received from Tony. Our house at the end was sold successfully at a satisfactory price (at the top end of the appraisal range) and within the targeted time frame.

Other positive remarks of Tony are he never put pressure on us as the vendor, he respected our decisions and was never judgemental. Another sweet gesture from Tony was he organised fresh flowers to be set up in our house at the first open home.    

We highly recommend Tony as your agent if you are considering selling your house.

Grant Wong, son of Yick & Fong (the owners). December 2020.

Matt & Gaby

After doing our research to find the best local agent for our Willis Bond & Co home in Hobsonville Point we went with Tony and we were very glad we did. Two weeks after listing our property NZ's real estate scene changed dramatically as we quickly went into Level 4 lockdown - and as we had just bought another home and needed to sell, this caused us some stress (to say the least).

Tony was a true real estate star during this challenging time. Throughout the marketing campaign he kept us well informed, went out of his way to provide the support we needed, while working tirelessly to achieve the sale we were after. We could not have asked for more from an agent.

We don't normally write testimonials but want to acknowledge Tony's professional commitment to achieving excellent results as well as being an all-round good guy to deal with. If you are planning on selling your home we highly recommend giving Tony a call.

Jonny & Rosy Campbell

We highly recommend Tony. He guided us through the sales process with clear communication and thorough attention to detail. He had great advice around marketing and a strategy that ultimately ended in a speedy sale at a great price. Tony’s service and commitment we’re a testament to his quality as an agent. If you’re looking to sell your house, look no further than Tony.

Trevor Canty (The Neil Group Limited)

Five Scott Point is The Neil Group’s 26 unit residential terraced housing development in Hobsonville. These were new homes for sale at prices up to $1,150,000 in a market with a lot of competing stock. We contacted Barfoot and Thompson Projects in 2018, to assist us with sales. Following a strategy planning process, by May 2019 we had listed the upcoming 3 and 4 bedroom homes with Tony Buckwell at Barfoot & Thompson Hobsonville. The agreed plan was to progressively market and sell these homes as they were completed.

Tony and his team worked long and hard to achieve outstanding results for us. Tony’s client communication is without doubt among the best I have ever experienced, as is his calm, methodical approach. These are the hallmarks of a true professional. It takes a lot of consistency to stay with a project like this for a year, not to mention the huge amount of work that had to be done prior to launching a project. And Tony is not too proud to be there well before an open day pulling weeds out of gardens to make the project look amazing.

By final completion of this project in early 2020 Tony had only two homes left to sell. Just before the Covid-19 lockdown Tony managed to negotiate the sale of one of these homes, leaving only one to go. We fully expected to have to wait for a few months to sell this last house given the circumstances. However, right in the middle of lock down, without having physical access to the property and relying only on the online images, an agreement was signed. After a successful viewing at Level 3 the agreement went unconditional and this has now settled, closing out this project in a very positive manner.

Despite some very negative media predictions for doom and gloom in the property market, we experienced almost the opposite and wondered if Tony had performed a miracle! However, we also know that the product was good quality and the buyer was well informed. It required Tony’s positive and creative approach to put the deal together, and in the process he actively defended the price level achieving agreement comparable with pre-Covid prices.

It has been a pleasure dealing with Tony, experiencing his long term commitment to us, and we hope to be working with him again soon.

– Trevor Canty, Senior Development Manager, The Neil Group Limited

Jack & Rachel

Tony assisted us with our first home purchase. Tony was fantastic to work with at every stage in this process – at the start when we were formulating our offer, right through to dealing with last-minute hitches prior to settlement.

We couldn’t recommend Tony highly enough.

Lynne & Russell Dickson

“Tony worked tirelessly to achieve the outstanding result of our home selling in a short time and for the amount we were optimistically hoping for.

This proved to us that we had made the best decision choosing Tony to market our home. We were impressed with his professionalism and knowledge of the current market in our area and the marketing strategy he chose accordingly. He also gave us invaluable tips on how to present our house and garden to their best.

Tony guided us through the whole process, keeping us informed every step of the way. He is very organised, punctual and his attention to detail is second to none.  Tony is courteous, easy to talk to and it shows that he genuinely enjoys his work and helping his clients to get the very best outcome.

The Barfoot & Thompson network was also a huge benefit attracting many more potential buyers to view our home.

Tony, we wish you all the very best for the future in your personal life and your chosen career.”

Matthew & Faith Faulk

“We had the pleasure of working with Tony on the sale of our Hobsonville Point home this winter – and couldn’t be happier.

His professionalism throughout the sale process was exemplary with a real attention to detail on the unique selling points of our property. His suggestion of a marketing video and its execution was superb and we felt really highlighted the positives of our house.

He put in the hard yards at the outset and spent a good deal of time with us explaining how the sale process would eventuate. He was always punctual, professional and courteous.

As a result, and in a relatively quiet time of year, thanks to Tony and the network of professionals within Barfoot & Thompson we had the sale we were aiming for inside 3 weeks! We wouldn’t hesitate to use both Tony and the Barfoot & Thompson team again.”

Joselito & Josie Crisostomo

“We met Tony at one of his open homes in Hobby Point and his attitude stood out, so when we decided to sell I gave him a ring.

He came to our home and we discussed about the pros and cons of selling and the best marketing plan. From day one we found he had superb energy, professionalism and knowledge in real state.

His honesty and clear communication made the selling process a lot easier for me and my husband. In this current tough market you need a sales person who you can rely on and Tony has this attribute.

Thank you Tony for your hard work and we will work with you again when the time comes for us to sell in the future.”

Graeme Quensell

“Hi Tony. I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank you for selling my property in West Harbour.

From the get go I felt confident that you would sell the property and through this stressful time you remained calm and supported me as a vendor reassuring me at times when needed.

Your professionalism and honesty, which at times was not what I wanted to hear – but turned out to be true, was appreciated and can’t be faulted.

Throughout the marketing process you went way beyond what should be expected of an agent.  I won’t go into what you did as I don’t expect you to do the same on every property you list but I can say your eye for presentation on open home days was reinforced by your handy man skills.

I wish you well in your career and would be happy for you to use my comments as a show of my appreciation for a job well done.”

Jim & Dragica Behrent

“In mid-2015 we decided the time was right to sell our large waterfront property in Te Atatu South, Waitakere.

After our initial meeting with Tony, we came away pleasantly surprised to meet an agent who admitted that due to the unique size and nature of our property he was unable to find anything similar to use for a price comparison. With this in mind Tony put together a sales plan and marketing package that exceeded our expectations, and eventually resulted in a sale at auction which left us more than pleased with the result.

We cannot recommend Tony and his dedicated service highly enough. He is a friendly and professional agent, who won’t muck you around. For us, he succeeded when other agents/agencies had previously fallen short, and we do not doubt that he will do the same for you.”

Christine Hodges

“The three top words that most sum up the experience of selling my house with Tony are respect, cooperation, and satisfaction, and all three were applied both ways through the whole process.

Tony did a house and property walkthrough with me well before it went to market, and gave great advice on what to do to help achieve the best price, without ultimatums and with consideration to my budget. I used his website tips on property preparation (especially the declutter one!) as a guide to keep me focused through the next months.  

No-one can make your house sell, but I believe that Tony treated the marketing and sale process with such commitment and professionalism that the house stayed on the radar of a multitude of completely different buyers, ultimately achieving a sale result at auction that we were both very happy with. His honesty and genuine wish to do his best by me, and his others clients, is really evident at all times.

I have known Tony all my life and did expect him to be good, but he actually exceeded my expectations and I felt genuinely proud of him through the process. He comes with 5 gold stars from me, and I highly recommend him and Barfoot & Thompson to anyone who wants a great team to represent them through the hugely important process of marketing & selling their home.”

Olivia Murton & Junior Atau Tavai

“Tony has just sold our house for us. We were impressed with the professionalism, honesty and the energy he gave to working with us. He was prepared to go the extra mile in doing things like getting the fireplace going for viewers, and made himself very available to help in every way. We found that what Tony said about the Barfoot & Thompson network was correct, and we had agents from other parts of Auckland bringing potential buyers to our home. We are so pleased with our decision to select Tony as our agent. ”

Georgi de Stigter

“We really enjoyed working with Tony during the process of selling our home. His efficient and warm manner made it easy for us to feel at ease during what can be a very stressful time. His communication was exemplary, always quick to answer our queries either via text, email or phone, and he was knowledgeable about the market. His tips to make our home more presentable and appealing were very useful and helped us to achieve a great result at auction. We had a large number of interested buyers, many of whom came to our house as a result of the extensive Barfoot network from all over Auckland. All the information we needed was presented in a timely manner, and we appreciated the advice that Tony gave us when it came to making key decisions regarding our marketing and sales campaign.

Basically Tony made the process easy, quick and stress-free. We’d happily work with Tony again, and highly recommend him for any real estate matter.”

Jamie Shirlaw & Jini Seal

“Working with Tony was a real treat. We were ‘first time sellers’, and as such were completely new to the process of selling a home. Tony always took the time to answer the many many questions we had (no matter how basic!!), and helped us with each decision to take away any guess work. Tony’s real strength was in the high level of professionalism and communication that he brought to selling our home. He worked hard to always make sure we were informed and consulted with at every step of the process, to the point where it felt more like a team effort rather than simply getting a specialist in to sell your home for you. We were also impressed with how Tony tirelessly followed up with every possible lead in the hunt to find people willing to buy our home – we couldn’t have done it better ourselves. It was due to Tony’s enthusiasm and approach that kept our motivation high throughout. The results spoke for themselves. Right up to the auction day, and until the SOLD sticker was on the sign, Tony was completely dedicated. If you are selling your home, Tony would be the exact type of person you would want to work with”

Robert & Margaret Tubb

“Selling a home of 22 years is not an easy decision to make, and the sale process itself can be daunting. We wanted to work with an agent and company that would give us confidence that we would achieve the best possible result with the least amount of added stress. Tony Buckwell has a high profile in our area and having worked with him during the marketing and successful sale of our home we now consider that well-earned. Tony sets exemplary standards for himself and showed great empathy and listening skills when working with us to develop our marketing plan. He provided constant and open feedback throughout and we felt well informed and confident going into the auction. We would have no hesitation recommending Tony to anyone looking for a professional real estate agent.”

Erwin Van Maanen & Jo Benfell

“Throughout the marketing process of our home Tony was always professional, reliable and hardworking. No phone call or question went unanswered and we were always comfortable to approach Tony about anything. He worked tirelessly until a successful result was achieved and we were very grateful for this.”

Sarah & Sheldon Hynds

“Tony Buckwell proved to be exceptionally professional and thorough. He communicated clearly and ensured that we were well informed throughout the process. Tony demonstrates excellent attention to detail and he is clearly passionate about real estate. He was very well prepared for all open homes, arriving early and ensuring that the property was completely ready to receive potential purchasers. I highly recommend Tony to others looking for an honest and enthusiastic agent to help sell their home. Tony exceeded our expectations.”

John & Jeanne Williams

“We engaged Tony Buckwell to assist with the recent sale of our property.  Right from our first meeting, Tony was extremely easy to deal with; I found him easy to talk to, knowledgeable, positive and responsive.  Throughout the process, he made us aware of options and opportunities, but let us make up our minds on key decisions, only revisiting issues when he felt that he wanted us to be sure that we had weighed up the different factors.  

The communication flow was excellent – I always felt I knew what was going on, often ahead of time, and had access to the information I needed.  In our case our property was tenanted, and so a crucial issue was working with the tenants to ensure their rights and privacy expectations were respected.  Tony did an outstanding job of this.  The marketing campaign was highly successful and attracted a good number of genuinely interested buyers – not just tyre-kickers.  

The extensive Barfoot agent network ensured that a wide range of potential buyers were introduced to the property.  As a result of all this, we had a highly successful auction with several active bidders, ultimately realising a sale price that significantly exceeded our expectations.  If anyone is worried about the slightly higher cost of sale through Barfoot, in my opinion the greater sale price we secured by using Tony and Barfoot produced a far better net outcome for us.  From our experience, I have no hesitation in recommending Tony Buckwell to help with the sale of your property”

Annette & John Cook

Tony was always very professional, reliable, well-groomed and polite. We were well informed of all aspects for marketing our property for sale and then it was left for us to decide what action to take. We never felt at all pressured and his advice proved invaluable. He kept us very well informed during the weeks of marketing. He went the "extra mile" to find out about our area (other properties recently sold, schools, public transport, shops, etc.), all things important to prospective buyers. We have no hesitation in recommending him to any other future vendors.

Margaret and Ron Treneary

If you are looking to sell your home, give the job to Tony! Tony has a very professional attitude which demonstrates in his enthusiasm, dedication and reliability. It was such a pleasure to work with Tony.

Brett and Lynelle Southey

Our family had the pleasure of working with Tony in the sale of our home. He made a very stressful time a whole lot easier with his professionalism and communication skills, which kept us informed every step of the way. We think Tony's marketing skills were top notch, and the video part of his marketing plan was the ‘bee's knees’, which we believe was a pivotal part of selling our home for such a great price. We would not hesitate to recommend Tony in the sale or the purchase of your home. Thanks again Tony for all your help.

John Lisowski & Isolina Vila

It was a great pleasure working with Tony. Tony is very positive, driven, professional and friendly. Thanks to him, we not only sold our home for an outstanding price but also bought one above what I expected to be able to afford. Tony's positive outlook has really made this experience all positive, even when I had my doubts, Tony always encouraged me and made me believe that anything is possible. I highly recommend Tony to others, and welcome others to contact me for a reference. I know Tony will continue to do well in his career, and I definitely will not hesitate to contact him in the future. We enjoyed working with him and think he is a great person. “Thank you for believing in us and giving so much of your time." We wish Tony the very best and look forward for the opportunity of working together again.

Mike & Julie Light

Tony was always very professional in his approach and kept us informed and up to date at all times. He made sure that he explained everything we needed to know and his feedback on progress throughout was fantastic. He is a genuine and caring person who is a great ambassador for his company. I would have no hesitation in recommending him to anyone looking to buy or sell a house. Tony did everything he could to make the experience of selling as easy for us as possible.

Joy & Derek McKinstry

"Tony was outstanding in everything he did. He was professional, enthusiastic, hard working, and went the extra mile & was a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend Tony to anyone wanting to buy or sell a home, and believe he is a great asset to Barfoot & Thompson. If every Agent had Tony’s passion, drive and enthusiasm, selling or buying a home would be a positive experience for all. Tony is so good, he should look at coaching other Agents on how to be the best they can be. We highly recommend Tony."

Jackie Mathews

After meeting and working with multiple residential and commercial real estate agents in Auckland, Hong Kong and Portland, Oregon, Tony is by far the best agent. He was extremely helpful and never stopped looking for the house we wanted for over 4 months. He consistently checked in with us, sent us new listings and was very efficient and quick to respond to phone calls and emails. We purchased our house at an auction - it was very nerve wracking to say the least, but Tony kept us calm, was very supportive and never pushed us to bid more than what we wanted to. As it was our first auction, he explained the process thoroughly and even put the bids in for us (as we were too nervous to say anything louder than a whisper). Tony is very friendly, professional and extremely efficient. Buying a house is never easy, but Tony made the process a lot easier. I would never go with another real estate agent as long as Tony is around!

Judy Lee

I had been looking to buy a house in the Auckland area for some time but, being from overseas, kept coming up against all sorts of difficulties regarding legalities of buying by negotiation, and more especially by auction.

I first spoke to Tony Buckwell when he was helping me find a house of my requirements and he e-mailed me the details of many houses among which was a house which had possibilities. I returned to Auckland and looked at the house a few days after arriving. Even though the auction was to be held the following day, he gave me the confidence to follow it through. He arranged for a solicitor (at 1600hrs on a Friday afternoon!) to look over the LIM report and other documents, and gave us phone numbers of building inspectors. He also arranged to meet me before the auction in order to ask the vendors for variations to conditions to be approved and signed off (which were successful). More importantly, he offered to do the bidding for me - for which I will be eternally grateful. I was successful with the bidding and now own a lovely home in West Harbour. Without Tony's help I have no doubt that I would not have had the confidence or the know-how to proceed with the process, and certainly not the confidence to bid.

I would have no hesitation in recommending Tony Buckwell to any prospective buyer.